DESTINATION TRUFFLES
Tools of the Truffle-hunting Trade: 1. A big stick and a female pig Why female – because truffles smell like a male pig’s sex hormone. Al-
though some truffle hunters still use pigs, many have started using dogs because, unfortunately, pigs love truffles. If they find one, they usually devour it on the spot. Tey often use the stick to hold back the pig or to the swiftest go the rewards. 2. A big stick and a well-trained dog Historically, the Lagotto breed is used, but almost any dog can be
trained to truffle hunt, if the training starts at a young age. It will take about 12 months to adequately train a dog to truffle hunt. Te best part? Dogs will eat the truffles, but can be trained not to. Use the stick to fin- ish the digging that the dog starts. 3. A big stick Skip the pig and the dog and try this bare bones approach. Search for
the brownish spot where Brown flies typically lay their eggs on ripe truffles around the tree. By pounding on that area, you can often locate a truffle. Once a truffle is located, whether it be by pig, dog or stick, the hunter
uses a special tool called a “venghetto” to dig up the truffle. Venghetti are basically digging tools. Te type you use depends on the type of ground and truffle you are hunting. Tere are many truffle-hunting opportunities for tourists, usually at a
leisurely pace in the afternoon with a guide and a dog. Perillo Tours and some travel agencies can arrange for truffle hunts, or you can research options yourself through the Tourist Boards of Alba and Tuscany.
TO HUNT OR NOT TO HUNT? If you’d rather not immerse your- self in the art of the hunt and you prefer to just eat them, there’s no better place to do this than at the numerous truffle festivals held throughout the region.
Here are some of our favorites: BOLOGNA National White Truffle Festival
Every November, Savigno Valsamoggia holds the National White Truffle Festival in the hills of Bologna. Tere are both commercial exhibits, as well as local merchants that display and sell various traditional products, most notably the white truffle.
FERRARA Tuber Magnatum Pico Festival For three weekends in November, come celebrate and taste the typical white truffle from Panfilia Woods. Tis particular locale is perfect for the growth of the truffle and the local community has a strong tie to the tradition of gathering, sell- ing, and eating truffles.
Lagotto dog searching for truffles. ©francesco de marco/
Shutterstock.com
Woman collecting truffles in the forest using “stick method.” | © auremar/Bigstock
A White Truffle Primer T
PIACENZA Bobbio Truffle Fair and Market Usually held in early October, this festival is dedicated to sampling dif- ferent truffles, as well as the wines of the area. Tere is also a contest of truffle dogs for spectators to enjoy.
ruffles are not mushrooms, but “tubers” that grow in moist soil at the base of oak, poplar, beechwood and hazelnut trees. Most
truffles release spores and VOCs (volatile organic chemicals) that form a web around the base of a tree, inhibiting new plant growth and some- times creating what is called a “burn.” White truffles are usually found by scent, since they are more pungent than other varieties. Tey are harvested in the fall, mid-September through mid-November,
and can weigh anywhere from a few ounces to three or more pounds. 26 |
| Fall 2015 |
www.perillotraveler.com
PIEDMONT The Alba International White Truffle Fair Held annually in Alba from mid- October through mid-November. Here you can see, touch and smell many different truffles, which are
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